CRANBERRY, Pa. (EYT) — Calvin Bickel, owner of Cranberry Wellness Center, submitted the following health blog:

Recently we have been getting questioned a lot about CBD Oil. People are finding out about it mainly on the Internet.

First, I would like to talk a bit about it.

As with most things on the Internet, everything is a miracle and can fix anything. If this were true, then everyone would be taking it and would be as my grandmother used to say “fit as a fiddle.”

So, let us look at what is really known about it.

Methods of Extraction

Ethanol Extraction, some of this is done by merely putting the plant in large drums of ethanol, this is using a strong solvent and some of the ethanol remains even after the cleaning process. By using this method, it may destroy some of the plant substances that you may want. Ethanol extraction is the cheapest form of extraction making it very popular.

Hydrocarbon Extraction, this is done by forcing butane through hemp. This also is a harsh solvent. The butane needs to be removed after extraction during this process if done a little wrong it could ruin the entire product.

Isolate Extraction, this form of extraction is commonly used on plants with mold or grown with pesticides or other chemicals. It uses solvents like hexane, butane, and other chemicals to extract the product from the plant. However, this may change the chemical bonds of the product and traces of the solvents may remain. Some people claim that because this is such a harsh extraction method that the cannabinoids effectiveness may be reduced.

CO2 Extraction, this is the only method of extraction that uses no harsh solvents for extraction. Liquid CO2’s pressure and temperature are increased to enable it to pass through the hemp in a gas form but draw out the extract like a liquid. By changing pressure and temperature the extractor is able to control what is extracted from the plants. Because of using CO2 no residue of the solvents is there since none are used. This would be the best form of CBD Oil to use.

Watch, for companies that don’t tell you their method of extraction.

Also, if they don’t tell you where it is grown, don’t buy it. All this information should be available either on the bottle or the company website. Reputable companies will have all their information out there for you to see.

CBD Oil has grown very popular as a result a number of suppliers have shown up selling a number of different products and making all kinds of claims. Some will claim USDA Certified Organic. There is no USDA certification for growing hemp. So, if a company says it is USDA certified think before you order. The companies that we use do grow organically (no artificial chemicals or fertilizers) but grown organic and certified are two different things. Because the market has grown so fast many growers are using conventional farming methods spraying pesticides and using artificial fertilizers. Basically, grown with chemicals which will be in the plant when they extract it.

Endocannabinoid System

CBD, a phytocannabinoid, works by stimulating the endocannabinoid system in the human body.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) was discovered in 1992 by Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam and NIMH researchers Andrew Devane and Dr. Lumir Hanus. The ECS is a central regulatory system consisting of cannabinoid receptors, endogenous (“self-made,” i.e., made in our own bodies) cannabinoid compounds and enzymes. The ECS has been implicated in a wide range of physiological functions.

As reported in the scholarly journal Pharmacological Reviews, “modulating the activity of the endocannabinoid system turned out to hold therapeutic promise in a wide range of disparate diseases and pathological conditions, ranging from mood and anxiety disorders, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, glaucoma, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis, to name just a few.”

Patients are using CBD for a variety of health conditions.

Some of these are supported by research and some just by anecdotal evidence. For example, Chinese texts from the 3rd millennium BCE record use of Cannabis sativa to relieve pain and cramps; ancient Indian texts from 3000 years ago note the use of bhang (ingested marijuana as food); cannabis was used for surgical anesthesia in ancient China and to relieve pain in ancient Israel, Greece, Rome, and India.

Recently, cannabis-based medicines are gaining popularity for the relief of painful conditions like neuropathy pain. Research results vary, complicated by the fact that studies use a wide range of cannabis products, doses, and delivery methods.

How CBD works

All cannabinoids, including CBD, attach themselves to certain receptors in the body to produce their effects.

The human body produces certain cannabinoids on its own. It has two receptors for cannabinoids, called CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors.

CB1 receptors are found all around the body, but many of them are in the brain. The CB1 receptors in the brain deal with coordination and movement, pain, emotions and mood, thinking, appetite, and memories, among others. THC attaches to these receptors.

CB2 receptors are more common in the immune system. They affect inflammation and pain. It used to be thought that CBD acts on these CB2 receptors, but it appears now that CBD does not act on either receptor directly. Instead, it seems to influence the body to use more of its own cannabinoids.

Next time, we will look at some of the benefits of CBD oil and answer some more questions that we have been getting on it.

But for now, the CBD oils that we carry are organically grown.

One of the companies that we use sells CBD oil that matches European specs which are some of the best in the world. The product is traceable from seed to the bottle so that you may know what is in it.

I will write more on this next time. But, for now, I pray for everyone to be safe and healthy.

~Calvin